McIlroy exorcises Masters ghost with imperious march to major coronation

The wonder kid from Holywood in Belfast delivered the golfing equivalent of a Hollywood blockbuster, setting record after record at Congressional as he kept the trophy not just in European hands, but Northern Irish hands.

More than that, he became at 22 the second youngest European major winner of all time – and the youngest since 1872, the year Young Tom Morris captured his fourth and final Open at 21. He died three years later.

Not since amateur legend Bobby Jones in 1923 has this, the toughest of all four majors, been lifted by someone of such tender years – and with Padraig Harrington saying that McIlroy has the potential to challenge Jack Nicklaus’s 18-major record it ought to be noted that the Golden Bear was a few months older when his first win came.

But the most remarkable thing is that it was only in April that McIlroy imploded at Augusta, seeing a four-stroke lead turn into a 10-shot defeat with a closing round of 80.

This was the first major since then and he was a class apart from the moment he started in the same way he had at the Masters, with a 65.

By the time he had raised his arms in triumph to the roars of the crowd – such a contrast to the heckling that runner-up Colin Montgomerie received at the same venue in 1994 – everybody present knew they had witnessed something and someone truly special.

Among the first to join in the celebrations was his father Gerry. On Father’s Day that was only right and proper.

Back at home there were the same joyous scenes that had greeted Graeme McDowell’s victory 12 months ago – the first by a European in the event for 40 years.

Many have known about McIlroy’s talent since he shot 61 at Portrush as a 16-year-old – and many of them for long before that.

With a closing 69 for a tournament record 16-under-par total of 268, these are the US Open marks he set or shared – and whether he goes on to do more than Nicklaus or Tiger Woods, who won by 15 in 2000, should not detract from this achievement:

Lowest halfway total - 131

Biggest halfway lead - 6 (with Woods)

Lowest 54-hole total - 199

Quickest to 10 under - 26 holes

Quickest to 11 under - 32 holes

Quickest to 12 under - 34 holes

First to 13 under - 35 holes

First to 14 under - 50 holes

First to 15 under - 55 holes

First to 16 under - 58 holes

First to 17 under - 64 holes

Most under par 72 holes - 16 under

Lowest 72-hole total - 268 (by 4)

Those statistics, inevitably, also said something about how soft the Washington course was all week, but it was the same for everyone and only one took full advantage.

Insistent that he had his Masters nightmare in context within a few days of it happening – he was third in Malaysia the following Sunday – a visit to earthquake-hit Haiti the week before coming to Washington added further perspective.

He still had to show, however, that regardless of his eight-stroke cushion with a day to go he was capable of remaining in a league of his own.

Lee Westwood, joint third overnight, started with a birdie, but in the group behind McIlroy matched it from nine feet and an approach to four feet at the 470-yard fourth made the gap double figures.

Former US PGA champion YE Yang got it back to eight on the two outward par fives and McIlroy had a narrow escape when his pitch to the long sixth only just made it over the water, actually bouncing off the wall of the water onto the green.

Asia’s only major winner – Yang overtook Woods at the 2009 US PGA – then struck his tee shot to around three feet on the dangerous short 10th, but McIlroy not only got inside him, but almost holed-in-one.

Sharing it in birdie twos meant he was a step closer and McIlroy had, of course, improved five shots on what he took at Augusta’s 10th that fateful day.

When Yang hit his second into water on the 11th and bogeyed victory seemed in the bag and, as if it had not been all weekend, the real battle was for second place.

And, as at the Masters, 23-year-old Day ended up as runner-up, a bogey-free 68 seeing him finish two ahead of a group including England’s Westwood.

His wait for a first major goes on and he did not quite do enough either to regain the world No 1 spot from Luke Donald.

McIlroy did bogey the 12th after driving into sand and, after another birdie at the long 16th, he did have his only three-putt on the 17th.

But it was all over long before then.

For the first time since the Masters began in 1934, five majors in a row have been won by non-Americans.

And the future of golf had arrived.

Leading final scores

US unless stated; par 71

268 R McIlroy (NIrl) 65 66 68 69

276 J Day (Aus) 71 72 65 68

278 R Garrigus 70 70 68 70, K Chappell 76 67 69 66, YE Yang (Kor) 68 69 70 71, L Westwood (Eng) 75 68 65 70

279 P Hanson (Swe) 72 71 69 67, S Garcia (Spa) 69 71 69 70

280 C Schwartzel (Rsa) 68 74 72 66, L Oosthuizen (Rsa) 69 73 71 67

281 Love III 70 71 70 70, H Slocum 71 70 70 70, B Snedeker 70 70 72 69

282 F Jacobson (Swe) 74 69 66 73, G McDowell (NIrl) 70 74 69 69, B Van Pelt 76 67 68 71, M Kuchar 72 68 69 73, W Simpson 75 71 66 70

283 S Stricker 75 69 69 70, J Edfors (Swe) 70 72 74 67

284 R Palmer 69 72 73 70, P Cantlay 75 67 70 72

285 D Johnson 75 71 69 70, R Rock (Eng) 70 71 76 68, B Haas 73 73 68 71, R Goosen (Rsa) 73 73 71 68, B Jobe 71 70 70 74, G Woodland 73 71 73 68, H Stenson (Swe) 70 72 69 74

286 R Sabbatini (Rsa) 72 73 70 71, Seung-yul Noh (Kor) 72 70 73 71, Z Johnson 71 69 72 74, J Senden (Aus) 70 72 72 72, H Frazar 72 73 68 73, Do-hoon Kim (Kor) 73 71 70 72, Kyung-Tae Kim (Kor) 69 72 69 76, R Ishikawa (Jpn) 74 70 74 68, G Havret (Fra) 77 69 71 69

Others included: 287 M Kaymer (Ger) 74 70 72 71. 289 R Karlsson (Swe) 79 67 71 72, L Donald (Eng) 74 72 74 69, P Harrington (Irl) 71 73 72 73. 291 P Mickelson 74 69 77 71, Anthony Kim 74 72 75 70, M Manassero (Ita) 74 72 73 72, A Quiros (Spa) 70 71 72 78, E Molinari (Ita) 74 70 74 7